When The Sun Burst Through The Sky, After The Gold Rush, 26x32” 2023

Pop Up EXHIBITION: April 1 – 30, 2023

OPENING RECEPTION

Saturday, April 1, 2023, 4–8 pm

ARTIST PANEL

Sunday, April 2, 2023, 2:30 pm

The American West in Fine Art: Beyond a Regional Fascination

at Vaughn Art Agency + Gallery

2307 Thornton Road #112, Austin, TX 78704

After the Gold Rush considers the history and mythos of the American West following its Euro-American “settling” all the way to the Pacific within the context of Neil Young's breakout solo album. With lyrics ranging from medieval knights to spaceships, the album’s title track is ultimately about loving and caring for our Earth. 

The artworks Western Gallery presents are very much in alignment with both of these ideas. Whether a landscape painting or a LED-lit plexiglass sculpture of a saddle, the subjects at the heart of these works begin and end with an appreciation for the West, its lifestyles and the land itself. Especially for rural Western Americans, the importance of conservation pervades the entire lifestyle and can’t be understated. 

Though the California gold rush may have primarily been a brute pillaging of natural resources that funded Anglo development, the awareness of the West and its vast resources—both above and below ground—has never been greater. Coupled with renewed interest in space exploration and a backdrop of ever-growing environmental concerns, the themes of After the Gold Rush continue to resonate both in popular music and in fine art.

Western Gallery has brought together over 100 works from more than 30 artists living and working across the United States for viewers to appreciate, contemplate, critique and enjoy. 

Participating Artists

Carson Bilger

Sara Bloodwolf

Vanessa Compton

Taylor Crisp

Denise Deleo

Leslie DeLeon

Elizabeth Dryden

Maeve Eichelberger

Whitney Gardner

Victoria Gilmore

Hannah Harper

Chaz Kerger

Corbett Kesler

Chanel Kreuzer

Sirena LaBurn

Anna-Sophia Lagos

Anna-Lisa Leal

Alice Leese

Drew Macias

Taylor Manoles

Kerri Menchaca

Ally Morgan

Danika Ostrowski

Brandon Owen

Greg Piazza

GL Richardson

Antonio Savarese

Ryan Scheer

Lida Steves

Gina Teichert

Lucile Wedeking

Sarah Winkler